Political Parties Flashcards
what sort of democracy do we have in the UK
Representative democracy
What is a representative democracy
we vote for MPs to make decisions on our behalf
How are the elected MPs made accountable
in general elections
What is a party system
Several types of party system models
One party dominance, multiparty sharing of influence, 2 party system - duopoly - means shared power between 2 leading political parties
2 and half party system - smaller party hold the balance of power
What is the political spectrum in the UK
Left and right wing political ideas
Name the left wing poliTICAL IDEAS
Define left wing
1 have a positive view of the state and a collectivist view of society
2 believe government should reduce inequality and encourage social cohesion by providing an extensive welfare sate
3 wealthier in society should pay a higher share of the cost of this through redistribution taxations
4 generally enjoyed close relationship with unions since unions also represent economic
5 embrace multiculturalism. Supports alternative lifestyles
Identify Right Wing political ideas
Define right wing
1 focus on the importance of giving the individual as much control over their own lives as possible
2 reject left wing attempts encouraging greater equality
3 believes free market works best when little government interference
4 governments aims to keep taxation as low as possible and limit trade union influence to encourage smooth operation of the market
5 companies operate best when there is competition so national firms are best privatized
6 emphasizes importance of a shared national identity and encourages traditional lifestyles
What is a political party
made up of members who share a same political ideology - don’t always agree on every political opinion
what is adversary politics
Give example
a time when there are vast ideological differences between 2 main parties
In 1980s labour leader Michael foot against free market reforms of Margret Thatcher
give an example What is consensus politics
when there are similar philosophies and policy similarities between main parties - opposition many be able to support some government policies
Tony Blair embraced traditional conservative principle of free market and low taxation
What is mandate
when a party wins a general election it can claim legitimate right or mandate from the electorate to implement its manifesto promises
How are candidates selected
1 applicant must be a member of the party and go through national selection process to become an approved candidate
2 if they pass they can apply to a constituency that chooses them if they feel they will increase the party’s share of the vote
3once candidate wins a seat they can claim to have an electoral mandate to represent that seat in House of Commons
Does a local party have to automatically endorse the MP as a candidate for next election
Give an example
No - if their views oppose local activity
2022 Labour MP Sam Terry sacked as shadow minister on grounds he was out of touch with leadership
How does the Conservative Party elect party leader
1 they put forward 2 candidates and party memebers decide
How can the influence of party members be side stepped in the election of a party leader
Give an example
One candidate withdraws ensuring the other member is elected
2016 Andrea Leasim withdrew ensureing Theresa May was conservative leader
How does policy formation differ between the parties
Labour - a national policy forum consults with party members over the development of policy (manifesto)
Conservative manifesto is drawn up by senior members of parliament
Green and Lib Dems give party membership final decision ove what appears in manifesto
Outline the steps from manifesto to mandate
Manifesto
1 party publishes manifesto surfing general election campaign - what they hope to achieve if form a government
2 if they win election can claim legitimacy to carry out manifesto commitments
3 these promises form basis of monarchs address at beginning of new parliament
Mandate
1 party wins election and has a mandate to govern country- authority to enact manifesto commitments
2 if no party has achieved majority a coalition is established - the mandate does not run smoothly
3 government can claim doctors mandate which means it can propose measures not in their manifesto in response to changing circumstances - eg response to COVID
How do political parties campaign during elections
Party activists deliver leaflets, canvass voters on the doorstep and arrange political events so voters can understand the choices between candidates . Increasing use of internet and social media to engage voters
Do political parties help or hinder representative democracy
Help
1 representative democracy could not function without political parties - if politicians only represented their own views it would be hard to establish a government as members would not be united by one political ideology
2 political parties develop coherent programmed through discussion- parties then issue manifestos to enable voters across the country to make informed choices about who they vote for
3 with out parties voting in elections would be more complicated as voters could not associate a candidate with a particular party manifesto
4 political parties select suitable candidates to stand for public office - with out parties wealthy individuals with their own agenda might find it easier to access power, with potentially dangerous consequences for uk democracy
5 opposition parties can make the government accountable for its policies in a way that an individual could not
6 parties are vital in organizing parliamentary business- if they didn’t exist representative bodies would be confused and disorganized
HINDER
1 political parties reduce voter choice by requiring voters to associate with the manifesto of a party even though the manifesto might not fully represent their political views
2 the freedom of action of MPs is reduced because although they can argue they have their personal mandate the party whip expects them to support the programme of the political party
3 The “spirit of fraction” that political parties create has been critiqued for creating a confrontational negative approach to government. Parties often focus on their differences and fail to work together- the gulf been democrats and republicans in US which led to shut down in government shows how negative this can be
4 parties give great power to party membership by selecting the party leader so membership determines who will be PM in next election
5 the way the main parties benefit from disproportional funding ensures they can monopolies political decision making
How are parties funded
1 some countries the state funds its political parties
2 in UL parties rely on private funding and some access to public funds to subsidize policy development and parliamentary scrutiny
What is the criticism of private funding of political parties
wealthy investors can bankroll a party for their own interests
£2 million to all main parties to employ advisors - policy development grants
Short money allocated to opposition for their work in the commons based on the number of seats they have
Leader of opposition funded £80-00,000 to run offices
Cranbourne money subsidies work of scrutiny carried out by opposition in the House of Lords
Cams-sign and election expenses depend of subscriptions of party members and donations
What do critics say about this way of funding
gives conservatives a massive advantage and the wealthy can have a disproportionate influence in uk politics and that donations from the unions makes labour to closely associated with Labour Party
\and parties that don’t have financial ties are at a disadvantage
What is the purpose of political parties electoral and referendums act 2000
States some rules concerning party funding that are designed to encourage greater transparncy
List 3 important requirements of the political parties and elections and referendums act
1 independent electoral commission established to record to record and make public how political parties are funded
2the amount a party can spend in a constituency during an election is limited to £30,000
3 political parties must register large donations over £7500 with electoral commission and can not accept donations from non uk citizens
What was the cash for honors scandal
Tony Blairs final year as PM suggested that certain Labour donors had been given places in House of Lords because they donated to the party.
Blair commissioned the Phillips report to investigate which concluded there was a strong case for political parties to be funded through taxation and for a limit of £500,000 on donations
These recommendations have not been acted on - conservatives get the most donations are unwilling to lose this advantage and labour does not want to remove financial support it gets from unions
Should parties in the UK be state funded
YES
1in 2019 general election conservative and labour parties were responsible for over 80% of the total campaign spending - this influence reinforces a duopoly in UK
2 public funding of the political parties would create a more even playing field so McAllen parties would not be so disadvantaged in elections
3 the way they are funded connects labour and conservatives too trade unions and big businesses c- if this connection was broken both parties would be more responsive to wider public
4there are examples of big donors to political parties being awarded peerages . Public funding would remove the claims of corruption and help to restore public trust in politicians
5 cost of state funding the parties would be small so increase in taxation would be little
NO
1 in a free democracy people should be able to support any cause they want
2 if the state were to fund the parties it would be controversial to decide how much each party should claim
3 state funding may suggest political parties are servants of the state which might limit their political independence
4 evidence suggest that disproportionate financial influence between parties has little impact on electoral success
5 all parties raise money by charging for membership - if it were state funding there would be less incentive to encourage political activism and public engagement
Outline the history of the Conservative Party
1 during the English civil war royalists (supporters of the monarchy and Church of England) resisted giving parliament more power and influence and giving people more freedom of worship
2 they feared that if parliament had more power society would be destabilized and violent
2 the principles of the French Revolution of liberty and equality were in conflict with traditional conservative principles
3 English whip Edmund Burle was horrified by Britons showing enthusiasm for the French Revolution
4 conservatives were aware of the potential of mob rule and tried to stop the radical changes and by 19th century Tory party was the party of property authority tradition and stability
What is one nation conservatism
The Conservative Party should protect and advance the interests of the whole nation- more inclusive and progressive than traditional conservatism
Name 3 conservative PMs who supported one nation pricnciples
Benjamin Disraeli
Stanley Baldwin
Edward Heath
What caused the undermining of one nation in the 1970s
Industrial unrest - unions demanding higher pay for workers
Thatcher defeated Edwards Heath in 1975 for the leadership of the Conservative Party what principles replaced one nation
New Right
What were the principles of New Right (Thatcherism)
1 economy best regulates itself with little government intervention as possible- business people and entrepreneurs create wealth -
2 encouraging social stability
How did economist Adam Smith suggest economy could regulate itself
1 keeping tax low
2 reducing inflation and interest rates
3 discouraging a dependency culture (welfare state reliance)
4 limit influence of trade unions
How was the state to promote social stability
1 discourage permissive and alternative lifestyles
2 giving government powers to fight crime and disorder
3 protect the nation with strong defence policy
what was a major criticism of the Thatcher party
Focused to much of free market and allowed society to be divided
Describe modern day conservative policies
Economy- currently in a period of transition on over whether its priority should be encouyraging growth or balancing the budget
Welfare - universal credit system based on principle more you earn the fewer benefits you receive suggests an anti dependency approach
Law and order - committed to strict enforcement of law and order
Foreign Policy - commitment to strong national defence policy designed to protect British interests and demonstrate uks continued military outreach
List 3 ways in which modern conservatism is influenced by thaturism
1 anti dependency - welfare associated with thaturism
2 law and order - appointment of Home Secretaries who are against liberalism
3 economy - response to recession with high taxes and cuts in public spending similar to that hurts good housekeeping po;icy
Define leveling up
Levelling Up means creating opportunities for everyone across the UK by:
improving jobs, pay and living standards
making streets safer
protecting health and wellbeing
investing in high streets and town centres
improving local transport
What are the dates of the thatcher government
1979-1990
List 6 more recent conservative PMs
Rishi Sunak
Liz Truss
Boris Johnson
Theresa May
David Cameron
Margaret Thatcher
Since resignation of David Cameron there has been significant divisions in the party. Identify issues where conflict within the party lies
1 Liz Truss wanting to borrow to finance tax cuts and avoid public spending cuts
2 Johnson and Sunak governments wanting to
keep taxes high to maintain public spending
3 Home Secretaries `printing Pate; and Stella Braverman adopting more socially conservative policies
4Truss announcing denting ban on fracking and wanting to expand North Sea oil and gas extraction
What was labour established to represent
the interests of the working class
What are old labour principles
associated with left wing princples of positive intervention
To create a more equal society through
1 higher taxes on the wealthy
2 nationalization of public services
3 generous welfare provision
Labours members have included marxists so why is it not seen as a Marxist party
because it is not committed to overthrowing the capital free market
What is the idea central to labours ideology
That we achieve more by working togetherfor the common good rather than competing according to our own interests
Have have Labour governments tried to create a more just and inclusive society
1 nationalism - government runs key industries in the interests of the workers and the nation
2 redistributive taxation - the wealthier in society pay a greater share of tax
3 supporting a welfare state
4 building close links with trade unions as labour was established to protect and advance interests of the workers
Who was the first PM of a Labour government
Clement Attlee 1945-1951
